Articles/Reference filing

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AndyD93

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Ok, like most of the first posters... I am new to this!

I get some magazines that have articles that I want to save... How does everyone file those in their reference files? :???:

As I see it there are 3 options:
1. put the magazines on a shelf to hold them for overall reference (if they don't stand up get a magazine holder)
2. cut the articles out and file under topic/date/etc.
3. Put mags on shelf, file copy of article to have the topic index in your reference files (but that is 2 copies of the article!)

Thanks for any guidence.

Andy D.
 
Option 4: Download and save a copy of the article from the magazine's online edition. Recycle print edition.

I started doing it this way when I realized I never looked in my paper files anyway.

Katherine
 
Option 5: If you can't download a copy, scan it yourself.

Electronis archives save space.

Yours
Alexander
 
RuthMcT;49726 said:
I tear out the article, and then file it with any other reference stuff I have on the topic.

Ruth
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I second this recommendation. Put the article in a file that might prove useful someday. In my field, not all (indeed, not even 25%) of journal and magazine articles are accessible online.

If you have some extra basement space and a few bankers boxes, you'll have an archive of information organized by topic and category.

If you don't have space in your home/apartment, then you might need to come up with a digital solution. Otherwise, I think people get a little too preoccupied with the idea of paper files taking too much space. (Granted: if your job generates a huge amount of documents, then you might want a digital solution.)

The question for me is time vs. space. Everyone will differ here, but I'd rather keep a few readily accessible bankers boxes in my basement that I review and purge once a year than spend hours and hours scanning articles into my computer.

In short, choose the path of least resistance.
 
madalu;49729 said:
The question for me is time vs. space. Everyone will differ here, but I'd rather keep a few readily accessible bankers boxes in my basement that I review and purge once a year than spend hours and hours scanning articles into my computer.

In short, choose the path of least resistance.
Click to expand...

I remember reading something, I believe by Don Aslett, about making it easy to put something away even if it makes it harder to retrieve. You are motivated to find it when you need it. Making it easy to put away makes it more likely to get put away. The example used was putting silverware away in the drawer. If it makes it easy to put away to just dump it all in the drawer unsorted and you have to hunt for the fork when you need it, do it. That's better than not putting the silverware away until you have time to sort it and place it all carefully in the correct spots.

How often and how likely are you to go back to and use any of the articles? Let that be the driver for how much time and effort you spend filing them, if at all.
 
madalu;49729 said:
The question for me is time vs. space. Everyone will differ here, but I'd rather keep a few readily accessible bankers boxes in my basement that I review and purge once a year than spend hours and hours scanning articles into my computer.

In short, choose the path of least resistance.
Click to expand...

Indeed. To me, "readily accessible" and "basement" don't belong in the same sentence, while scanning only takes a minute or two per article. Scanning also makes the article accessible to whatever I want to do next, such as taking notes or finding related material.

But then, almost everything in my field is electronically accessible to begin with, so my situation is different. To each their own.

Katherine
 
WebR0ver;49730 said:
I remember reading something, I believe by Don Aslett, about making it easy to put something away even if it makes it harder to retrieve. You are motivated to find it when you need it. ...
Click to expand...

This is a great point. You may file 100 articles and only retrieve 10 of them. Make the filing part as quick and easy as possible. This is the reason I stopped using my label maker for files.
 
Another quick alternative to scanning files, if you have a digital camera is to take a snapshot of the page from the magazine. This takes less time than scanning is very easy and useful.

I used this at uni for research articles in the library or other reference materials.
 
David0203;49750 said:
Another quick alternative to scanning files, if you have a digital camera is to take a snapshot of the page from the magazine. This takes less time than scanning is very easy and useful.
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Very good statement David.
Taking a picture with a digicam is much easier and normally faster than scanning. Its also possible ind situations where scanning isn't (eg. flipcharts, whiteboards ...).
Yesterday we took a "screenshot" of a computer which had stopped. Quite hard job to put the monitor on the scanner ;-).

Yours
Alexander
 
I use #2 (cut the articles out and file under topic/date/etc.), AKA "rip and read." My reading workflow usually involves printing, which I carry in my Read/Review, so archiving that copy is straightforward. However, many times I'll just save the source in my idea/reference file (with the main points), assuming I can access it later on-line.
 
Use your cell phone camera.

David0203;49750 said:
Another quick alternative to scanning files, if you have a digital camera is to take a snapshot of the page from the magazine. This takes less time than scanning is very easy and useful.
Click to expand...

Modern cell phones are equipped with cameras that can be used for this purpose. My old Nokia 6670 takes readable A4 document pictures (1 megapixel camera). Nokia N95 has 5 megapixels.
 
Why so diffficult with a digital camera? Nowadays you have fast adf-scanners. Drop a pile of paper on the scanner and within notime it's a pdf file on your computer.
 
Apply the 60-second rule

David states that once you've determined that something needs to be filed, it should take you 60 seconds or less to get it into your filing system. If you take any longer than that you're more likely to stack it than file it when you're in the heat of operational life.

For me, tearing out the article and putting it in a paper file is the way to go.
 
I don't carry scanners in my pockets.

Peter Bulthuis;59472 said:
Why so diffficult with a digital camera? Nowadays you have fast adf-scanners. Drop a pile of paper on the scanner and within notime it's a pdf file on your computer.
Click to expand...

I have my mobile phone with camera with me all the time. I don't carry scanners in my pockets. ;-)
 
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